“Do not whisper when speaking truth to power”
On Tuesday March 11 there was a Plenary session “Dialogue with Parliamentarians and Political Leaders” during which several members of the Parliament of India spoke. My experience of this session finally led me to ask for the word during the afternoon session:
“I have been sitting here this morning, listening to one politician after another, who argue that India must have nuclear weapons in order to work for nuclear abolition. I felt anger and rage rising within me. It was difficult to identify the origin of my wrath. Then the words of Bernard Lown started to reverberate in my head: “Do not whisper when speaking truth to power”.
I was angry at myself: I had not even whispered. I had kept quiet, and applauded. The politicians spoke, and quickly went away. They probably left with the feeling that we all agree: India is working hard for a nuclear weapons free world. One speaker, one only, Dr Farooq Abdullah, admitted that India started the nuclear arms race on the subcontinent in 1974 with its so called “peaceful nuclear explosions”. But India continued to speak for nuclear abolition.
All credibility India may have had as country working for nuclear disarmament was then effectively blown away with the nuclear tests in 1998. Not one of the Indian Parliamentarians said that these tests were a horrendous mistake. The arms race increased, India had become a likely target for a nuclear attack, and India had exposed itself as just another nationalistic country.
And here we sat, trying to understand the message: If you want nuclear abolition, build nuclear weapons. Maybe the speakers were able to trick themselves into believing what they were saying. The human capacity of self-delusion is remarkable. But we should not pretend that we believed their Orwellian newspeak. We should say: You have betrayed India’s great tradition as a peace-making country. You must begin anew. The first step is to regret the nuclear tests. The second is to sign the nuclear test ban treaty, CTBT. If you do not sign you would show that you are planning to go ahead with new bombs, more bombs, “nuclear superiority” instead of “minimal deterrence”.
India’s politicians, you have a great tradition from Mahatma Gandhi and from Jawaharlal Nehru to build on. Do not squander your heritage.”
—-
The following should be added: The tests in 1998 were met with a great outburst of nationalist pride in India. One of the very few dissenting voice came from Indian Doctors for Peace and Development. The President of IDPD dr L.S. Chawla said that IDPD did regret the tests, explaining that they would accelerate the nuclear arms race in the region and decrease the security of India. The cost of nuclear weapons would make fewer resources available for health. For this Dr Chawla and his brave colleagues were called traitors.
They did not whisper. They spoke the truth loud and clear. IPPNW should be proud of our Indian affiliate.
Nuclear “Famine” Workshop
Nuclear “Famine” Workshop – Lead by Dr. Ira Helfand, PSR USA
There are two objectives for the workshop: 1) Show the draft slideshow for critique and input and 2) Present several areas for additional research.
Dr. Helfand presented the purpose of the workshop and asked that people provide feedback on the slideshow and the research agenda. The goal is to make changes to the powerpoint presentation and then make it available for affiliates to use in educating about the issue. A special point should be made that this research could be an important piece of the ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) campaign as the research shows that even a regional, limited nuclear exchange could kill over a billion people from agricultural disruption and essentially end life as we know it!
Regarding the research part, the climate effects of the research have been well established and are considered quite rigorous. It is important to know that the original work by Robock and Toon (and others) about Nuclear Winter was well studied in the 1980s. This new work included 2 separate models which now takes into account more levels of the atmosphere and the oceans in the models. The work presented here in the workshop was confirmed in the two different simulations. There are six other models which have yet to be run, and if anyone has access to these models, it would be good to confirm the results with them, too. The health effects of Ira’s paper are more speculative and although based on historical experience, are harder to work out. It is in this area that we hope we can further the research to strengthen the paper for eventual publication in a journal like Lancet.
Nuclear weapons obvious inflict serious harm to those directly targeted. The bomb at Hiroshima, although relatively small, killed 150,000 people. It represents only a miniscule portion of the current nuclear arsenals. The heat and explosive effects are well known, but nuclear detonations have important other effects which are distributed more widely. There are two main atmospheric consequences. The burning of cities produces a lot of smoke and this absorbs sunlight. The explosion also kicks up a lot of dust which reflects sunlight: Both of which serve to dim the light and cool the ground temperatures.
The research being presented here is based primarily on work done by Toon and Robock which simulated an exchange of 100 of Hiroshima-size nuclear weapons between India and Pakistan. This was chosen as it represents a probably scenario between two adversaries that have recently fought wars.
In the research, which also recognized the immediate deaths of hundreds of millions of Indians and Pakistan, the climate effects were dramatic. There would be an immediate drop in surface temperatures of 1.5 deg C over days and this effect would be severe for 2-3 years and continue for about a decade. This is the largest amount of cooling ever recorded. The overall warming which has occurred in the last 100 years has only been .75 deg C. The cooling projected by this scenario would bring the average temperature to a point below even the mini-ice age around 1400.
In addition to the cooling, there is a marked reduction in the effective growing season and precipitation around the planet. There are reductions in precipitation of 20-50% in many of the key growing regions of the world. The growing season would be reduced from 10-40 days in the same areas. Other effects reducing consumable agricultural production include decreased light, increased UV radiation due to ozone depletion, and increase toxins and radiation.
These effects parallel the effects of naturally occurring cooling events such as the eruption of the Laki volcano in Iceland in 1783 which caused widespread famine in China and India, and the Tambora eruption in 1815 which produced “the year without a summer” in 1816.
Both of these occurred in much less populated times and with distribution of smoke and ash which were lower in the atmosphere and which washed out more quickly than that anticipated by the limited nuclear war scenario discussed here.
The agriculture effects of these examples are widespread and lead to famine. However, this is not just due to a decrease in production but also the accessibility of food due to hoarding, prices, etc. Work by Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize winning economist, on the Great Famine of Bengal clearly outlines this issue. Increased fuel prices would also decrease the availability of fertilizer, pesticides and tractors, further reducing agricultural yields.
The world is currently very dependent on grain production. We are currently at the lowest point of grain reserves for a long time. There are 800 million people which are currently undernourished with daily intake of below 1800-2200 calories (minimum daily requirement). Another 200 million are borderline. It is not unreasonable to assume that these marginal people would not survive the drastic effects of this limited, regional nuclear war.
This would lead to massive epidemics of disease, wars over resources, etc. killing many more people.
Reaffirming the point made earlier… this means that there are many countries (not just the US and Russia) which have sufficient nuclear weapons to create a global climate catastrophe and the deaths of billions of people. This is a strong argument for complete abolition of nuclear weapons.
The discussion that followed the presentation raised several questions:
-
How do we get this issue into the minds of decision makers? A recommendation was the creation of a 4-6 minute DVD which can be shared. Also inclusion with ICAN materials.
-
Is this a realistic military scenario? Evidence from Pakistan in 1991 was that they were ready to launch all of their nuclear weapons in bombers. Do we need more evidence of the relevance of the scenario described here?
-
Slides are too complicated. This was especially true for the general public, but even some for the physicians. Many slides also need more titling and less smaller text or lots of numbers (e.g., the millimeters of precipitation slide).
-
A participant who was a medical doctor and PhD in Agriculture made some additional comments. This included that the oral presentation in the workshop did not include two other effects: decreased light and genetic effects of radiation (which would generally decrease crop production). However, most of the conclusions seemed reasonable.
-
What is different about these scenarios from the oil fires and volcanoes? I think this was answered above, but the main difference is the height at which the smoke and dust rise. This greatly extends the duration and scope of the effects.
-
Will we be considered as jumping on the climate bandwagon? Ira noted that these conclusions are similar to those widely accepted in the 80s by Sagan, et. al.
-
Does location of the simulation matter? Yes, particularly whether northern or southern hemisphere. This was in South Asia, but the effects quickly become global. We have an animated GIF file which can be used but involves larger number of weapons.
-
The medical system is already overburdened. Wouldn’t this overwhelm the system in a similar manner to the local systems described in our “bombing run” scenarios? Yes, and this is another good point to make.
-
Will these shocking pictures lead to further denial from our audience? Will we get caught in arguing about numbers rather than on substance of the research? This is important to be on the watch for.
-
Need a concise description of the results, similar to an “elevator speech” that can be used to talk to people quickly about.
Ira thanked all the participants for their contributions and promised to take their advice into account and provided an updated PowerPoint presentation with notes attached.
It is indeed a sign of the high respect paid to IPPNW by Indian officials that delegations were invited to meet both the President and the Prime Minister of India.
Meeting with President of India Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil.
Dr. L.S. Chawla, President of Indian Doctors for Peace and Development introduced us to President Patil at her residence on March 8, and we were also joined by our Co-President Ime John of Nigeria, IPPNW Board Chair Bjorn Hilt of Norway, Tilman Ruff and Ruth Mitchell of Australia, Bob Gould of the United States, Inga Blum of Germany, and IPPNW Executive Director Michael Christ.
The President of India has a mostly symbolic function as an embodiment of the greatness and spirit of the country.
Originally the intention was that the President should speak at our Inaugural Session. However, the cost of the security around such an arrangement would have been extremely high and the organizers opted for the vice president whose presence required less extensive security.The presidential residence building is enormous. The opulence and magnificence of the rooms and of the guards contrasted with the unpretentious appearance of the President, an elderly Mother of India, a seemingly frail, almost Gandhi-thin woman whom we met. Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil assumed office as the 12th president of India July 25 2007. She was trained as a lawyer. She was in her early years an excellent table tennis player.During our about 20 minutes of audience with the President Dr Chawla talked about our organisation. In our presentation we recalled India’s proud tradition of work for international nuclear disarmament. If the USA, when the new administration comes into power, takes action for nuclear disarmament, what would India do? We expressed the hope that India would in cooperation with its neighbors Pakistan and China act for regional nuclear disarmament. After all, we had seen the bust of Mahatma Gandhi in the anteroom. We expected great initiatives from India.The President voiced great appreciation of our movement and said that our work was really for the benefit of all of us. ”All mankind is one family, isn’t that so” said the President. Our question was, as was to be expected, not answered directly.Ruth Mitchell from Australia congratulated India to its victory over Australia in cricket recently which the President gratefully appreciated.We gave the President a “guidebook” for the path to nuclear disarmament “Draft Model Nuclear Convention” in the hope that this would show that nuclear disarmament is a real possibility. After the meeting we where shown the great beautiful garden behind the palace.
Meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
On the 10th, we met with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Dr. Chawla again made the introductions of Ime John, Ruth Mitchell, Bob Gould and Inga Blum. This time we were joined by former Canadian Senator Douglas Roche, the Chair of the Middle Powers Initiative, and IPPNW Program Director John Loretz.
The Prime minister of a country of more than one billion inhabitants is of course very busy. It is all the more remarkable that he set aside more than one quarter of an hour for our delegation. Dr Chawla opened by introducing IPPNW, our history and our Nobel Peace Award. The PM seemed to be well informed about this. During the meeting he repeatedly expressed his sincere appreciation of our work which he saw as being in line with the work of the India Gov’t. We then described recent developments which give us a hope that initiatives for nuclear weapons abolition would be taken by USA soon. How would India act if USA and Russia began sincere negotiations for nuclear abolition, aiming for Zero? May we expect that India calls on its neighbors China and Pakistan for possible regional nuclear disarmament? Or would India, in the tradition of Rajiv Gandhi, take any other bold initiatives for nuclear abolition?Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that he had repeated and updated the Rajiv Gandhi plan in his speech in the UN General Assembly two years ago. However, nuclear disarmament would have to be a global process. There was no place for a local, bilateral or regional initiative. China in particular would not be interested, China compares itself with the US, not with India.Senator Douglas Roche tried, using his diplomatic experience, to reformulate the question in several ways. However, the response was clear and unwavering: We are not to expect any initiative from India other than cooperation in a global disarmament process. “But how long would India wait? Until the US and Russia came down to the same number of nuclear weapons as India?” This was a rather academic question said the PM. We gave our host a copy of the Model Nuclear Convention and some other documents. He promised to study the convention (and his aides started immediately, we saw) and again expressed his appreciation of our work. The tenor of the discussion was polite and friendly.From the meeting with the President we got what we hoped for: Respect and recognition. Personally I was somewhat disappointed by the meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He was well informed of recent developments in USA and UK which opened an opportunity for initiatives for nuclear disarmament. He had no intention to take any initiative to use that opportunity. This is likely to be a result of his problems of balancing the domestic political forces. We did not discuss the US-India Nuclear Deal as we knew that there we would have no chance of making any impact, only cause irritation and decreasing our chances for future meetings.
Gunnar Westberg, IPPNW Outgoing Co-President
by Tova Fuller
Previous to the IPPNW Students’ Congress, several students including Nigerian student and new International Student Representative Ehase Agyeno, American students Jack Wang and Tova Fuller, and Latin American students Nidia Rodriguez (of Ecuador) and Cesar Aleman (of Nicaragua) decided to form a group that would provide cohesion to student work on small arms . This group, entitled the International Student Coalition to Abolish Small Arms (ISCASA) would work parallel to existant IPPNW program, Aiming for Prevention, to draw parallels between small arms violence on different continents and provide support to involved students.
During the IPPNW Students’ Congress, students from several continents presented on small arms and light weapons – presenters included Abhinav Singh and Andrew Winnington, both of whom presented during plenary Session II: Modes of Destruction. Furthermore, a later workshop highlighted the work of Kenyan student Walter Odhiamso (check back soon for photos), Nigerian student Mansur Ramalan, Latin American students and American students. At the end of this workshop, Tova Fuller moderated a discussion of where ISCASA is going, and handed out a report detailing her current knowledge of small arms work. An idea that was presented was the creation of a virtual map of the world on the IPPNW students’ website, with hyperlinks on countries where student work on small arms is being done, along with key facts and details about this work and links to One Bullet Stories. During the following discussion, students were encouraged to share ideas for resources they think would be helpful in their own work including, but not limited to:
- A list of funding resources
- Victim testimonies (perhaps informally, and not via One Bullet Stories)
- A photo gallery
- Short versions of clinical data that one can present easily
- Research on trade and production specific to high conflict areas
Students present at the congress agreed on having conference calls via Skype every 2-3 months, and will be communicating via the ISCASA google group.
Walter Odhiamso presenting on clinical research on small arms in Kenya
Climate Change and the IPPNW Students’ Congress
by Tova Fuller
First of all, Namaskar from India!
One theme that has permeated this IPPNW Students’ Congress, held from March 7th to the 8th of 2008, has been climate change and its effect on public health. In a previous posting I have discussed the Medical Alliance to Stop Global Warming (MASGW), a joint effort of the US’s Student PSR and AMSA. On March 7th, the MASGW presented alongside students from Pune and Abhinav Singh about climate change and environmental health during the first Session of the students’ congress. While the title of this session, Effects of War, may prima facie seem to imply plenaries will focus only on direct effects violence, one might make the argument that the Iraq war contributes to usage and ongoing reliance on fossil fuels, and hence on climate change.
During this shared plenary, all students highlighted the large responsibility of the developed world on climate change, and the disproportionate effect of climate change on the developing world. Members of the MASGW Steering Committee (Student PSR NSRs Tova Fuller and Lauren Zajac) led an introduction to the issue and then shared their current work on environmental health, speaking about Focus the Nation, the AMSA pre-conference which will be held shortly in Houston, TX, their Call To Action (see previous blog posting), and other efforts the US is making to draw attention to this grave threat to human health. Abhinav Singh and students from Pune presented hard evidence that global warming is affected by human activity, and shared the specific effects this would have on human health – both directly and indirectly through such phenomena as greater infectious diseases, etc.
Here’s the powerpoint presention.
A later workshop led MASGW and the students from Pune first reviewed material presented during the plenary, and then moved on to a brainstorming session, in which Tova Fuller led small groups of students in a “time travel” activity; students “traveled” to an ideal world in which global warming was no longer a problem. Participants imagined steps taken in their future’s past that guided them to this entirely green world in an attempt to think both positively and creatively about steps that need to be taken – from legislation to personal actions. Finally, Lauren Zajac collected commitments from students either in their personal lives and/or in student organizing. The MASGW will calculate the impact of these actions and plan to email the IPPNW listserv upon returning home with the net impact of the members of this workshop in order to inspire others.
Peace March Part II
We have all been extremely busy finishing off the peace march and straight into the Student’s Congress on the 7th and 8th. Here is the rest of our March story!
March 4th, 2008 – Further talks with hospital staff/Opportunity Costs of Nukes/Indian Medical Association
After a restful, but short of a rest in Ludhiana, we made our way to Christian Medical College (CMC) for more peace talks to the medical students. Again, we informed the students of our purpose on this tour and what the various countries represented were trying to achieve in their respective countries. The floor was then open to some interactive communication, which opened up many great discussions.
The issue of justifying nuclear weapons as a good deterrent for neighboring countries was a prominent topic, leading to the India – Pakistan tension ‘issue’. We were asked about efficaciousness of our peace march – in terms of did we really think that, as students, were able to really contribute to making a difference for world peace?
Our responses to these questions were ardently met by facts about how dangerous nuclear weapons are to make and maintain, let alone the effects of one being detonated, the cost of nuclear weapons being able to abolish hunger in India, and views from German students who have been in Pakistan and insist that both Pakistanis and Indians are both warm hearted people who do want peace, but are simply afraid of each other. As for the efficaciousness of our mission – it was just inspirational to see delegates from 10 different countries across the world, united together in a common cause for the one purpose of achieving peace, starting with the abolition of nuclear weapons as this is the most singly destructive force known to human-kind. If we all take small steps toward the same goal, together we can reach our destination.
Topically, we then visited the statue of the three Indian freedom fighters, which fought peacefully for India’s freedom against Brittain in 1947.
We then made our way to Dayanand Medical College where we were, as always, greeted warmly. From here, we marched through the streets of Ludhiana joined with the students from both Christian and Dayanand Medical College, chanting “Aman Shanti” [“we want peace” in Hindi]. More sessions, similar to the one aforementioned occurred with Dayanand Medical Students, factory workers at a car motor company and students at Desh Bhagat, an Ayurvedic College and Hospital. One more stop at Ambala, greeted by the Indian Medical Association and then to Mollana University for a well welcomed night sleep!
March, 5th, 2008 – Mollana University/Arrival in Delhi/Mahatma Gandhi Shrine/Welcome by Secretary of Trade Unions
We talked to Mollana university medical students in the morning after a well rested night and then drove for a long time (after one and a half Hindi movies) to be welcomed by the Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) in Haryana. We continued our journey to Rajghat, where Mahatma Gandhi rests. Across the road, we had a welcoming ceremony by Ms Amargeet Kaur, the Secretary of All India Trade Union Congress.
The march’s end at the poignant Rajghat was symbolic and representative of the peaceful demonstration of our wish and longing for peace.
On to the IPPNW Medical Student Congress.
Yours in Peace,
Marcus
IPPNW Wagah Border to Delhi Peace March
This is Marcus, from Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, in Ludiana on our second night of the IPPNW Medical Student Peace Tour from the Wagah Border to Delhi. This is our journey so far:
1st March 2008 – Bumpy Ride Crossing Border/First Meetings
After a precarious tuk tuk ride, sent by the amazing Ankita, I arrived at the meeting spot of 40 or so delegates from all over the world. Unbeknownst to us, we were to bond over a 12 hour back breaking and neck breaking bus-ride from Delhi to Amritsar. The delegates included Indian, Mongolian, Swiss, Dutch, Ukrainian, German, a Nigerian and Latin American medical students and young doctors, all of whom were eager to find out about each other and the medical school system in which we all worked in.
We had a dinner before we left that night, which was great, except for the fact that some got “lost”. The aforementioned bus ride was definitely an experience to whinge about. Sleep was quite out of the question, with any REM sleep constantly being interrupted by the jumping of the bus due to pot holes in the roads the size of untreated 3 month-old Burkitt’s lymphomas (John the Nigerian assures me that these get big – and this was his analogy!)
2nd March 2008 – Arrival in Amritsar/Wagah Border
We finally reach our Amritsar destination, at Government Medical College, where we are joined by the Bangladeshi delegates. We make our way to the Wagah border, which divides India and Pakistan, where we are again joined by more students – the Nepali delegates! We all eagerly waited for the Pakistani group but we were only able to welcome two German students who had been working in Pakistan and joined our march. It seems that the Pakistani delegates were held up and their Visas did not come through.
For the afternoon/evening, we visited the Golden Temple – the largest and grandest temple for the Sikh people (one of the four major religions within India). This place of worship was so incredibly beautiful peaceful, with hundreds of people engaging in workshops. We ate at the Golden Temple, where it is free for all who come and want food! Imagine a hall of hundreds of people getting dinner for free every half hour or so!! Talk about the first step to universal healthcare!!! No one in Punjabi should have to go hungry…
That night we roughed it a little, Indian style, but it was the first chance to get a proper sleep, not on a moving vehicle in over 36 hours, so everyone slept like a log.
3rd March 2008 – Medical Exchange at Gov. Medical College/Street Actions
A delegate from each country was asked (for those of us who were the only single delegate from our respective countries) to talk to the Government Medical College students at a seminar in the morning after a special Amritsar breakfast. The aim was to increase awareness amongst the Amritsar medical students.
More bus riding ensued from Amritsar to Jalander, where we were met by the IMA (Indian Medical Association) holding picket signs with “NO TO NUCLEAR WEAPONS” in the street. This was followed by a motorbike precession to a hall where more talking and speech giving occurred. Already 2 hours or so behind schedule, we then made our rowdy way to Ludhiana. By rowdy I mean Nepali delegates vs. Bangladesh delegates in a singing and dancing contest in the isles of the bus. Word from the other bus suggests it was much the same with the Indian group singing at the top of their lungs followed by a flower fight (we were given flower necklaces when we arrived in Jalander). “THROW FLOWERS, NOT BOMBS!” – Lydia, Ecuador
In Ludhiana, we were at the Baba Jasmant Singh Dental College, Hospital and Research Institute. We were so warmly received, with Baba Ji himself welcoming us and blessing each one of us (at this point we are 74 delegates). Dinner was massive and in true Panjabi style – which is eat yourself silly with wonderful food until you can’t eat anymore (hunger as an urge is not considered at all when approaching food i.e. it doesn’t matter if you’re not hungry; you eat!). And now we have gone upstairs and settled into our wonderfully luxurious rooms for the night…
The Indian hospitality has been wonderful.
On to Delhi,
Marcus
The Medical Alliance to Stop Global Warming
by Tova Fuller
The Medical Alliance to Stop Global Warming is a joint effort of Student Physicians for Social Responsibility (SPSR) and the American Medical Student Association (AMSA). This collaborative campaign is working with student leaders to bring the critical issue of global warming to medical schools around the nation and to encourage health professionals young and old to adopt energy-efficient lifestyles. Medical students and professionals can play an important role in the effort to fight global warming.
Presentations
The Med Alliance is excited to be presenting this March both in India at the students’ portion of the 18th IPPNW World Congress and at AMSA’s Pre-Conference.
Download a tentative version of the presentation that will be given as part of a workshop below:
Medical Alliance Presentation for the Students’ IPPNW Conference
The Call To Action
Fighting global warming, ending our dependence on oil, and protecting public health. Scientific consensus in the international community recognizes the very real threat of a changing climate due to greenhouse gas emissions. Our pattern of fossil fuel consumption is not sustainable. Unchecked, global warming will lead to increased heat-related illness and death, more intense droughts, famine, floods and storms, increased pest and water borne diseases, increased respiratory and cardiovascular disease as a result of worsening air quality, and displace hundreds of thousands from their homes. We call on our elected officials to immediately implement mandatory national global warming emission reductions, utilizing the most efficient and cost effective means, to achieve greenhouse gas reductions in order to protect the health of the American people and our neighbors across the world.
Our Call to Action is an effort to let legislators know we care about our planet, and our health, and subsequently we need stronger emissions controls. We will be delivering this petition to key legislators and presidential hopefuls in April of 2008.
If you are a healthcare professional or student in the US,
please take a moment and sign on to the call to action.
Get in touch!
- Visit our website
- Join our Google Group
- Join us on Facebook
- Sign the Call To Action if you are a healthcare professional or student in the US.
- Email: MedicalAlliance@gmail.com
Emerging web technology
IPPNW looks to emerging web technology to grow international campaigns for disarmament and health.
Through new developments on the internet, organizations and activists are beginning to find it easier to reach beyond typical spheres of influence. These new websites and technologies are, for some, just as confusing as they are exciting, but once started most find navigating this new terrain well worth the investment.
IPPNW is embracing these new tools and encouraging physicians, medical students and concerned citizens across our network to come along and get connected.
As a federation of national medical organizations in 60 countries, representing tens of thousands of doctors, medical students, other health workers, and concerned citizens, this is an exciting trend for IPPNW and its affiliates. Local “on-line” communities are launching everywhere, connecting activists in localized neighborhoods with activists across the globe. Will these new tools catalyze a groundswell of global support for the elimination of nuclear weapons? Who really knows the answer to that, but from Nairobi to Salt Lake City to Dusseldorf, thousands are logging-on to find out. We invite you to join a group, start a group or just investigate things for yourself.
Below is a list of social networking sites on which you can find IPPNW, our affiliates and individual activists.
Facebook (www.facebook.com) 61 Million Users
Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.
There are currently 10 Facebook communities linked to the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. Please feel free to check any of them out (IPPNW, IPPNW-Sudan, MAPW, Med. Students for Global Awareness, IPPNW-Philippines, ICAN, German Medical Students of IPPNW, Physicians for Social Responsibility Philadelphia, IPPNW-New Zealand, IPPNW-UK).
Myspace (www.myspace.com) Over 100 Million Users
MySpace is an online community that lets you meet your friends’ friends. Create a community on MySpace and you can share photos, journals and interests with your growing network of mutual friends!
There are currently two IPPNW groups located in Myspace. You can view or join ICAN or IPPNW and communicate with other activists and concerned citizens.
Youtube (www.youtube.com) 6.1 Million uploaded videos; 500K registered members
YouTube is the leader in online video, and the premier destination to watch and share original videos worldwide through a Web experience. YouTube allows people to easily upload and share video clips across the Internet through websites, mobile devices, blogs, and email.
Activists from across IPPNW’s federation frequently upload new videos documenting our anti-nuclear activity. We try our best to keep up with the volume and have established an IPPNW Group and an ICAN Group to help organize online video content. Frequent searches on Youtube will almost always yield new multi media projects from around the world.
LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com)
LinkedIn is an online network of more than 17 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries. When you join, you create a profile that summarizes your professional accomplishments. Your profile helps you find and be found by former colleagues, clients, and partners. You can add more connections by inviting trusted contacts to join LinkedIn and connect to you.
By joining LinkedIn and becoming a member of the IPPNW Group you can link your professional career and all your lifetime credentials with your activism through IPPNW.
A nuclear-armed Iran?
A nuclear-armed Iran? Not according to intelligence agencies of world’s largest nuclear power
The Bush administration claims that Iran has been secretly developing nuclear weapons were rebuffed in November when a joint study conducted by US intelligence agencies reported that Iran does not have an active bomb program and has not had one for several years. The National Intelligence Estimate, entitled “Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities,” while cautioning that Iran has the scientific and industrial capacity to produce nuclear weapons if it decides to do so, concluded that Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program in the fall of 2003; that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon; and that “Iran will not be technically capable of producing and reprocessing enough plutonium for a weapon before about 2015.”
IPPNW Writing Fellow Tad Daley discusses the intelligence report, continuing concerns about Iran, and the responsibility of the US and other nuclear weapon states for the ongoing proliferation threat in a new article available here.
Click here to read the National Intelligence Estimate.
Click here to visit Tad’s Website.
Bimal Khadka
Bjorn Hilt
Charles K. Johnson
Gunnar Westberg
IPPNW
John Loretz
Lawrence Wittner
Maria Valenti
mollymcgint
Sue Wareham
Tilman Ruff
Tim Wright
Xanthe Hall
IPPNW peace and health blog 